UNDP’s
Community-based Recovery (CBR) Programme initiated a
peace and reconciliation project in a remote area in the south east of
the country in collaboration with a Liberian NGO, the Resource Center
for Community Empowerment and Integrated Development (RECEIVE), UNMIL/Civil
Affairs and UNHCR. The UNDP project, launched on 21 September 2005 to
commemorate the International Day of Peace, aims to facilitate a process
of reconciliation between two target communities after 14 years of conflict,
mistrust and hatred. The project is funded by BCPR/BRSP’s Small
Grants Programme which supports civil society organizations in their efforts
to build peace through dialogue, and to facilitates the recovery of democratic
and civilian institutions. (
Pakistan: Post-Earthquake Early
Recovery Framework
The
post-earthquake recovery in Pakistan is being guided by the
Early
Recovery Framework which was formulated to inform
and support the national strategy for reconstruction and rehabilitation
with assistance from the UN and other partners. Based on a
joint preliminary assessment of early recovery needs in the
most affected areas, the Framework aims to facilitate the
progress from immediate relief to long-term reconstruction
by outlining strategic principles and direction for each sector
of intervention. The interventions under the Framework aim
to:
• augment ongoing humanitarian assistance operations;
• support spontaneous recovery efforts of the affected
population;
• prepare the ground for sustainable long-term reconstruction;
and
• reduce future disaster risks. Find details of the
Early Recovery Framework, including the sector and project
profiles here.
You can also find the latest updates on UNDP's efforts in
Pakistan, as well as information on how COPE (Corporate Partnership
in Emergencies) is supporting the recovery efforts.
UNDP Leads Inter-agency Early
Recovery Cluster
As part of ongoing efforts to improve the predictability,
timeliness and effectiveness of humanitarian response, the
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has embarked upon an
initiative to strengthen leadership and accountability in
nine key “clusters” of humanitarian response.
Among these is the “early recovery”cluster—a
complex, multi-dimensional area that is critical to effectively
linking immediate responses with medium and long-term recovery.
IASC designated UNDP as the lead agency for the early recovery
cluster, responsible for managerial accountability and ensuring
a response that is both adequate and predictable. Working
with 17 humanitarian and development partners (including the
Red Cross Movement), critical capacity gaps in early recovery
were identified. A plan of priority actions during 2006, together
with estimated resource requirements, has been prepared, aimed
at improving global-level cluster capacities and applying
the cluster approach to crisis situations. This, along with
the plans for the other eight clusters, were reviewed by the
IASC Working Group on 21-22 November and will be submitted
for endorsement by the IASC Principles on 12 December 2005.
It is foreseen that this new cluster approach will be implemented
in a phased manner as of early 2006. (contact: Kayoko
Gotoh)
UNDP Uganda: Launch of IDP Profiling
Study
As
part of UNDP Uganda’s support to the Government of Uganda
in implementing the IDP policy, the IDP
profiling study was commissioned to address a critical
information gap with regard to social profiles of IDPs. This
information can be used to inform the return and recovery
planning process and the implementation of the IDP policy
in general. Some of the findings of this study raise intriguing
questions and have generated interesting debates on camp management,
plans for decongestion, return and reintegration, such as:
1. IDPs have not moved far from their homes: 66% live in the
same sub-county as they were born and only 5% originate from
another district than they currently live.
2. Conditions for willingness to move if a peace agreement
is reached: one third will move with no assistance, one third
will move if assistance is given while another third will
remain in the camps.
3. Victims of Crime: 14% of all households have members that
were victims of crime in the month that the survey was carried
out (May 2005) and its estimated that around 1500 people were
murdered in that same month. (shared by Rose
Ssebatindira)
Grenada is recovering after
Hurricane Ivan
The
small Caribbean island of Grenada is progressing towards recovery
after the devastation left by Hurricane Ivan in September
2004. The number of recovery and development projects implemented
by UNDP and its partners are starting to bear fruit. Some
of the projects included:
• Support to emergency and recovery initiatives in Grenada,
which include a sector-by-sector analysis and assessment of
housing damage caused by the hurricane, and building capacity
to utilized improved methods and design of small houses against
disasters.
• Community Resource Information and Communication System
project, which targeted young adults and single mothers to
receive training in building their ICT skills in community-based
facilities.
• Enabling Recovery and Rural Development, which is
working towards strengthening national institutions in rehabilitation
and reconstruction; and
• Sustainable Livelihoods Rehabilitation for Grenada,
which is creating employment and generating income through
activities such as clean-up and environmental restoration.
Grenada is striding strongly towards recovery. However, the
dual challenges of treating the psychological dimension of
this crisis, which the Government is attempting to address
by formulating a national wellness programme, and the need
to make larger strides towards housing repair and reconstruction
will continue to be pressing concerns for Grenada in the immediate
future. Find more information here.
(shared by Kari
Coley).
UNDP Maldives: Post-Tsunami Adopt-an-Island
Initiative
Since
the tsunami struck in December 2005, the Maldives is still
recovering from its devastating human and economic impact.
Faced with the fact that the country faces a $150 million
recovery and reconstruction funding gap (the only tsunami-affected
country with sucha significant shortfall), a widening budget
deficit, and negative growth for the first time in its history.
Through the Adopt-an-Island
Initiative, UNDP is supporting the country to
match donors with critical community-based recovery projects.
Find the first
Newsletter of this initiatives, and more information on
UNDP's
work in tsunami recovery.
UNDP’s
Community-based Recovery (CBR) Programme initiated
a peace and reconciliation project in a remote area in the south
east of the country in collaboration with a Liberian NGO, the
Resource Center for Community Empowerment and Integrated Development
(RECEIVE), UNMIL/Civil Affairs and UNHCR. The UNDP project,
launched on 21 September 2005 to commemorate the International
Day of Peace, aims to facilitate a process of reconciliation
between two target communities after 14 years of conflict, mistrust
and hatred. The project is funded by BCPR/BRSP’s Small
Grants Programme which supports civil society organizations
in their efforts to build peace through dialogue, and facilitates
the recovery of democratic and civilian institutions.
One
of the main highlights of the CBR project was the roundtable
conference that brought together more than 400 citizens from
both communities. Mediated by local authorities, the roundtable
provided opportunities for representatives from the youth, women
and elders and former rebel leaders from both communities to
present their version of the history of the conflict. The communities
spoke on the importance of peaceful co-existence, recognizing
how much they had both suffered. What sealed the event was an
official apology from one community to another, uniting the
people from the two communities for the first time since 1991.
The people celebrated their reconciliation and signed a peace
treaty that was drafted in full consultation with both communities.
“We the people of Konobo and Putu sub-districts, realizing
that over the past 14 years, relationships amongst our people
have been characterized by hatred, suspicion, bitterness and
conflict; with the desire to foster genuine reconciliation and
peace for commitment to the resolution of the long-standing
conflict among our people, this peace treaty shall hereafter
serve as a seal to this resolved conflict.”
Implementing
this project was not without its challenges. Firstly, Liberia
is plagued by poor road conditions, therefore reaching both
communities was extremely difficult. Secondly, there was a lack
of commitment to carrying out these activities due to other
pressing events, namely, Liberia’s first democratic elections,
which the UN facilitated and diverted the majority of its human
and logistical resources towards. Thirdly, these communities
have suffered tremendously and have very high expectations of
the international community, especially towards UNDP who has
had a presence in Liberia for the last fifty years. In this
particular case, the communities expected cash payments for
their time, an unfortunate reality in a country recovering from
14 years of war and facing extreme poverty and 85% unemployment.
Greater sensitization of the communities would have helped to
alleviate this misunderstanding. Finally, there is limited support
for undertaking local peace projects, as the perception is that
small community initiatives have little or no impact on the
national peace process. Yet this is clearly not the case. Despite
these challenges, UNDP is committed to support the communities
to see this project through for the sake of peace.
So
what’s next? The CBR Programme is redefining its transition
strategy and reorienting its programme priorities for 2006,
bearing in mind that a democratically elected government will
take office in January. The CBR Programme’s support will
focus on enhancing rural livelihoods and productive capacities,
including micro-credit through community credit unions and capacity
building for civil society and local governance. This project,
however, demonstrates that Liberia’s communities have
initiated their own recovery, and wish for peace first and foremost.
Commitment is needed by UNDP to support local peace-building
initiatives in Liberia, in a way that is economically viable
and socially cohesive. Without this, development will not be
sustainable and peace may not last. 
On
November 18th, the President of the General Assembly presented
the new draft resolution on the Peacebuilding Commission
to members states. According to the resolution, which outlines
the configuration, functions and procedures of the Commission,
the organizational committee will be comprised of seven
members of the UN Security Council, seven members of ECOSOC,
five members of the top providers of assessed contributions
of the UN selected from the top 15, and five top providers
of military personnel and civilian police to UN missions
selected from the top 15. The document decides that members
shall serve on the Committee for a term of "up to three
years, as applicable." Find more information 
ALNAP
and ProVention Consortium developed a briefing paper which
provides a synthesis of key lessons learned from relief
responses to past earthquakes. The main intended audiences
are operational decision-makers and relief programme managers
working in the South Asia earthquake relief operation. Some
of the lessons identified in the briefing includes: needs
assessments and working with communities; targeting, monitoring,
and shelter and relocation. Find the briefing paper and
resources 
International
Campaign to Ban Landmines: Landmine Monitor Report 2005:
Toward a Mine-Free World